


It's a Price I'll Pay

by AwkwardAnna



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe, Dan is a thief, Empaths, M/M, Mind linking, Phil is cute as always, Power Draining, Running From The Government, Suicidal Thoughts, Trigger Warnings, alternate endings, im sorry in advance, mind powers, tags will be added as needed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-27
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-08-27 09:11:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8395900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwkwardAnna/pseuds/AwkwardAnna
Summary: Dan's a thief, trying to earn respect on the world's black market, the Web. When breaking into one of Britain's most secretive facility, he comes across not dangerous weapons, but a boy by the name of Phil Lester.  ((I'm really sorry I'm bad at summaries the story will be better I promise.))





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay I won't talk much here but please read the notes at the end thank you!!

The silence rang in Dan’s ears. Perfect. He waved a hand over his watch and studied the pearlescent hologram that sprang up before him. Two lefts and a right. Seemed simple enough. Dan crept soundlessly through the corridors, pausing occasionally to listen. Nothing, nothing at all. 

Satisfied, he stopped at a door. It was enforced metal and had a series of keypads and scanners built into its front. Looking at his watch again, he confirmed he was in the right place. Dan looked at the door again and thought of how much easier it would be just to steal some money from the vaults and leave. But no, he was already so close to the legendary weapons and riches. The whole Web constantly whispered and theorised what the government could be hiding. And if nothing else, he would finally have the respect he had been working so hard for.

His mind was made up. He paced quietly, piecing together a malware code and streaming it into the building’s software. Saw as one by one, the electric components of the locks shut down, and Dan smiled as the last one made a little  _ click.  _ He gently pried open the door and saw…

White. White pillowed walls, white tiled floor. White bed? A hospital bed sat at the back of the room, pristine white sheets and harsh metal. Wires and various drip lines were attached to whatever was underneath its sheets. 

Dan pulled a small gun out of his belt and started walking. Shivers raced through him as he saw blood marks on the tiles. Keep walking. Acid stains lightened patches of the ceramic flooring. He got to the bed and steadied himself, his heart pounding. Just pull back the cloth. Just… pull… back…

Deep blue eyes stared off into space, clouded over with whatever was being pumped into the body they inhabited. Pale skin contrasted against dusty red hair. Dan flinched as the eyes shifted their gaze onto him.

“Kill me… please…” His voice was raspy, as if raw. The boy grabbed her wrist. 

“N-no, I can’t do that.” Tears started forming on the other’s face. Alarms began to wail; he had been here too long.

“Please, please, just let me die, let me go…. I don’t want to be here, please, just kill me…” The boy begged. Dan took one look at the anguish on his face and knew he couldn’t just leave him here. 

“You don’t want to be here anymore? Well I don’t either, so you can come with me.” Dan muttered as he started ripping out the tubes and pulled the frail boy out of the bed. The boy- teen?-  made a sound of relief and slight confusion as he was pulled from the bed, but offered no resistance. Dan turned him so that he would be forced to look him in the eye. “Okay, so this is going to be crazy and dangerous, but if I tell you to do something, do it, no hesitation. Got it?” He could see fear creep into the other’s eyes as he nodded. “Good. Let’s go.” 

Hands locked together, they ran out of the cell and into the corridors. As they sprinted Dan pulled up the hologram and started whispering directions. “Left…. Okay, the next one is a right…. Okay, left…. The window!” He recognised the spot where he had gotten in and stopped them. Yelling was heard, and it was uncomfortably close. Forming his hands into a basket, he said, “Put your foot in my hands so I can boost you out.” Once the boy did Dan threw his hands up, surprised at how light the other was. 

As soon as he saw the boy’s bare leave the window, Dan pulled his hood over his head and jumped up and grabbed the window ledge. He climbed over and dropped lightly to the asphalt outside. Terrified blue eyes looked at him. “Come on,” he whispered. He sprinted across the parking lot, skirting around the spotlights that waved over it. The red-haired boy started lagging behind, weakly trying to keep pace with Dan. Dan saw as he tripped and stayed on the ground, seemingly unable to get back up. He knew he should just leave him there. He knew that by going back he was increasing his chances of getting caught. 

But he ignored that as he ran back and scooped the fallen boy into his arms. He was completely limp, and Dan stumbled slightly as he began to run again. He ran to the fence and hurriedly went through the hole he had made. It was hard with the teen in his arms, but he managed. And then they were gone.

  
  


Dan shook with exhaustion as he went up the steps to the recently abandoned house he had decided would be their home for the night. He kicked open the door and staggered inside, setting the boy onto the carpet. He searched the house and was pleased to find an unopened cupboard with some blankets. As he walked back out to what he assumed was the living room, he was shocked to see a pair of blue eyes boring into him. 

“Who are you?” he questioned.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Dan eyed his wearily. Despite his frail appearance, the boy had to be dangerous in some way, or he wouldn’t have been locked up. “But you can call me Dan.”

“I’m Phil.” The boy- Phil -said. 

“Okay, then, nice to have that out of the way.” Dan could feel the questions he wanted to ask dance on the tip of his tongue, but he knew Phil was just as tired as him, if not more so. He rummaged through the interior pockets of his jacket and pulled out a couple granola bars. “Hungry?” Phil paused before nodding. Dan threw one of them to the boy before eating the other one. There were some cans in the upstairs pantry, but he was too tired to try and open them right now. Instead he walked up to Phil and gave him a blanket.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Dan sighed. “Try to sleep, we have a long day tomorrow.” He took his own blanket and sat up against the wall, ready to get up and leave if need be. It was completely silent, save for the rare car driving down the street. Twenty minutes turned into thirty, thirty to sixty. Dan could feel his eyes starting to droop, and he knew he needed to stay on watch-

“Dan?”

“Yeah?”

A long silence. Then, “Why did you take me with you?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.” Dan looked away from the window to Phil. The moonlight accentuated the sharpness of his face and shoulders. He was seriously undernourished and bruises were scattered over him, yet he held some sort of odd beauty about him. 

“Well, thank you.” Sleep was heavy on Phil’s voice. After a few minutes Dan could hear soft snores coming from under the blanket he had wrapped himself in.  _ Of course, _ Dan thought. And then he slept in peace.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> VERY IMPORTANT: I changed something from the first chapter, which is Phil's hair. As we all know he doesn't naturally have black hair, and obviously the government wouldn't care to dye his hair, so when Dan meets him he has his reddish hair. Anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter!!

Phil wakes up and groans, cuddling into his soft blanket. Blanket? With a start he realises he wasn't in his cell anymore. The events of the night before flood his mind. A gun, the barrel perfectly lined with his eyes, running, falling, the sway of being carried… fiery brown eyes with matching brown hair. Right, Dan. Phil wasn't sure if he should trust the brunette or not. He hadn't hustle him, but that didn't necessarily mean he was safe. 

Phil heard something shift and he tensed. He tried to appear like he was asleep, deepening his breaths. 

“I know you're awake.” Well, then. He opened his eyes and looked to the tall brunette leaning against the wall. Now that there was better lighting, he could make out Dan's features. He looked to be in his early twenties, like your average college student. A pang went through Phil when he thought about college. He missed it. Dan's skin was tanned, yet still on the fair side. His jaw was clenched, as if he was upset, guarded and wary of the ruddy-haired boy sitting in front of him. Phil briefly wondered why.

A smirk crept onto Dan's face. “Are you done checking me out, or do you need a full 360 degree view?” He said, stretching. Phil stuttered and blushed, not sure how to respond to such a comment. Dan laughed at his expression and said, “I'm kidding, really. Well, at least mostly.” He added a cheeky wink to the end and started laughing again as Phil turned bright red. “Anyways, we need to get moving. Come on, get up.”

Phil stood up and winced at the cracking sound his joints made. Blood redistributed itself throughout his body, making him sway a little. He felt sick.

Phil saw Dan look at him strangely before pulling out a can of fruit. “Breakfast,” he explained. 

Phil hesitated. ¨Have you eaten yet?¨

¨Yeah, I ate something while you slept.¨ Dan was lying, he hadn't eaten, but Phil seemed weak enough; He didn't need something else to worry about. The brunette opened the can using the little tab on the top and re extended his arm out to the other man.

Phil cautiously took the now opened can and took a couple bites. The flavours burst into his mouth. He hadn't had real food in what felt like forever. He shoveled the rest into his mouth and sighed as his hunger pains lessened. 

He wiped off the juice that had accumulated on his chin. “Thanks.”

“No problem. Like I said though, we need to get moving.” Dan tore his gaze away from Phil, settling it on the far wall. “Government patrolled the area looking for us this morning. Or, better said, for you.”

“Oh.” Phil's voice was soft, barely audible. He coughed a little before saying, “Let's go then.” He started moving to the front door before he was grabbed by Dan, whom was giving him an incredulous look. “You could've just told me to stop,” Phil grumbled. 

Dan ignored his comment and said, “Don't you think it's a little suspicious for a bruised man in  _ completely white clothes, _ which looks like hospital garb by the way, to be walking around? We need to change your look. Mainly, your clothes and hair.”

“Clothes are understandable, but  _ my hair? _ ” Phil huffed. He looked pointedly at the hand that was still grabbing his shoulder. “And you can let go, by the way.” 

Dan looked confused before hurriedly taking his hand off of the other boy’s shoulder. He sighed. “Well, yeah. You can pick out the color we'll change it to later, but the ruddy red you have going on isn't exactly common.” He waved a hand. “But that will come later once we get you hidden. For now, we need to fix your clothes.” The brunette seemed to think for a moment before removing his jacket and beginning to take off his shirt. 

“W-what are you doing?” Phil spluttered. 

“Giving you something else to wear?” Dan looked at him like he was stupid before tossing him his dark shirt. “Now give me yours,” he said, nodding to Phil's white tee.

Phil just stood there for a moment, dumbstruck. His mind short-circuited at the sight of Dan's bare torso. He hadn't ever cared to think of what he would look like shirtless, but well, now he knew. And man, it most definitely wasn't a bad view. 

He realised he was beginning to stare and quickly took off his own shirt, handing it embarrassingly to Dan. Phil put on the one that had been tossed to him as he asked, “What about my pants? Like you said, hospital trousers aren't inconspicuous.”

“Luckily enough for you, I brought another pair in case of an emergency.” 

“Okay. Thanks.” The brunette just nodded and started digging through a small slingback, eventually throwing a pair of dark-wash skinny jeans at Phil. Whilst Dan wasn't looking he hurriedly changed into them.

He looked up to see a pair of brown eyes observing him with approval. Apparently Dan  _ was _ looking. Oh, well. The other man looked away and shrugged on his jacket again, putting a small Glock in its inside pocket. Phil swallowed harshly; he had almost forgotten how Dan could be a danger to him. 

“Okay, while we are on the move you need to try to keep you face down. Got it? Good.” 

  
  


     ********************************************      

  
  


             “Stop whining.”

             “I'm not whining,” Phil huffed. “I just don't think this is necessary.”

             “Well, do you want the government to find you or do you want to stay free?” Silence. “That's what I thought.” Phil shivered slightly as another lock of hair fell to the ground. His head felt oddly light with the absence of his mass of hair.

             “We're almost done,” Dan said softly. As soon as they had gotten to Dan's flat Dan had attacked Phil's hair. They have dyed it, dried it, and now Dan was cutting it. Phil was a bit apprehensive to see the end result. His wandering mind was brought back to attention when a voice asked, “Ready to see it?” He nodded. “Okay.” 

            Dan handed Phil a small mirror. He looked… great. His now-black hair fell in dark fringe opposite to Dan's and was shorter on the sides. He sprang up from the chair with happiness and hugged a surprised brunette. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love it,” Phil cried. 

            “You're welcome.” And for the first time in a long time, they both smiled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how did you like it? I know the chapters aren't terribly long but this is about how long I plan for them to be. 
> 
> Anyways, comments and kupdos are always welcome! Have an awesome day ^^


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **teaser**

_"You want him dead."_

_"Precisely."_

_"And Lester is the best way to ensure that? You said he wasn't dangerous."_

 

 

_"I lied."_


	4. Chapter 4

Dan’s gaze rested on the now-asleep man on the couch opposite of him. Phil’s hair fell softly over his eyes and face as he slept peacefully. He had to admit, the black suited him. Over the past few weeks Dan had learned quite a bit about the man, such as how Phil actually preferred bright colors (“Black is gloomy and sad, Dan!”), how he liked lions and anime, among various facts about him, like that fact that Phil was born in Manchester. Then there were things Dan had learned purely through observation, like the way Phil’s tongue stuck out when he laughed. The way he would bite his lip when he concentrated, whether it be on a book or video game. How Phil loved to make the worst puns. The way Dan struggled not to laugh at said puns.

 

“Daniel, we asked you a question.” The attention of the tired brunette returned to the video call on his laptop screen. It was a Superior from the Web, a dangerous black market that Dan was a part of. The same group who had pushed him to travel to the facility in the first place. The figure shown was shrouded, and their voice was garbled and staticky, making the person completely anonymous, much to Dan’s distress. He sighed. 

 

“Repeat it please.”

 

“The question was on whether or not the male has shown any signs of abnormality.”

 

Dan frowned slightly, but not enough to be noticeable. They talked as if Phil wasn’t actually a person, more of a thing. He looked to the subject in question to to check that he was still asleep (He most definitely was) before answering.

 

“No.” A garbled sigh made its way through his speaker at his response.

 

“Very well. Prod him, provoke him. We need to know why he was removed from society; We’ve checked up on the files and it seems as if he doesn’t exist. Quite suspicious given where he was found, don’t you think? He must be useful in one way or another. I hope that you will have more information next time, Daniel.” Dan shivered slightly at the Superior’s tone, and nodded silently as the call ended. The unspoken phrase of  _ “or else” _ echoed through his mind, but he shook it off, feeling the exhaustion of the meeting fall onto him like a weighted blanket. 

 

He ran his fingers through his hair, no doubtedly messing up his fringe. Oh, well. His footsteps made a light padding as he made his way to the kitchen. Time for some midnight tea. The bubbling sound of the water as it boiled soothed Dan, pulling him to the dredges of sleep. He knew he should stay awake, after all, he had just put the kettle on the stove, but the idea of getting some much-needed rest was just so  _ tempting _ …

 

“Dan?” A groggy voice sounded from the doorway, abruptly pulling the brunette from his thoughts. He realised with a start that he must have been spacing off for a while, as the kettle was whistling, quite loudly.

 

“Wha- Oh, hey.” He yawned. “Sorry for waking you up.”

 

“‘S alright. What’cha doin’?” Dan moved to the stove and quickly took the kettle off the boiler, hissing as it burned his hand a bit.

 

“I  _ was _ making tea, but apparently I was tired.” Phil chuckled lightly at that, his voice husky with the lingering remnants of sleep. 

 

“We can make tea tomorrow morning. Go to bed.” Dan was too tired to argue, so he nodded half-heartedly and turned off the stovetop. As he stumbled to the doorway of the kitchen he felt a hand grab his shoulder tentatively, prompting him to turn around, which is exactly what Dan did, raising an eyebrow. “Would… I…” Phil removed his grip and shook his head slightly. “Nevermind. Goodnight.”

 

“Goodnight, Phil.” Confusion ran through Dan as he tried to figure out what had just happened, but he decided it was a problem for tomorrow, after that cup of tea. And maybe some coffee. Dan didn’t have time to dwell on it further as he fell into the gentle abyss of sleep.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Sunlight filtered through the blinds of Dan’s window, pulling him from his peaceful slumber. He grumbled softly; he could get up later. But then a beautiful scent hit him, promptly making him roll out of his bed to follow the enticing aroma. He stumbled to his kitchen, a few close calls with his walls along the way. 

 

“Mmmm, smells good,” Dan sighed happily.

 

“Well good morning to you, too,” Phil laughed. 

 

“What’s on the menu this fine morning?” Dan asked, a cup of chai in hand, courtesy of Phil. 

 

“Eggs, toast, and, of course, pancakes.” Phil checked the contents of a pan on the stove. “Which are almost done, actually. Hand me some plates.” Dan did as instructed, vaguely noticing how domestic the scene was. A warm feeling spread throughout him, like when the sun finally comes out from behind clouds. He most definitely didn’t want to think about that might entail, however, so he ignored it and let it be. 

 

Phil plated up the food and balanced it precariously in his arms as he walked into the dining room. Dan felt the warm feeling vanish as he realised how wrong this should be. He took Phil, they were strangers, so why was he being so nice? Sure, being here was probably better than the alternative to Phil. But he was being oddly trusting and nice and was worming his way into Dan's heart way too easily. 

 

With those thoughts on his mind Dan took the plate Phil gave him (quite cheerily, if he may add) and looked at the food warily. He wasn’t hungry anymore. But under Phil’s observant gaze he started to eat, feeling the food roll uncomfortably in his stomach. Ignore it, Dan. You’re just being paranoid, the guy can’t be  _ that _ dangerous. He can’t even hurt a fly. Right, yeah.

 

His brain helpfully reminded him that the pale man was ripped from society and locked up, and Dan still didn’t know why. Every time he tried to bring up the subject of the facility or asked about his past Phil closed himself off and left the room. 

 

“Everything taste okay? I know I’m not that great of a cook, but it can’t be  _ that _ bad,” Phil joked, an uneasy tone filtering through his voice.

 

“What? Oh, yeah, it tastes fine, great actually.” Dan felt his heartbeat quicken slightly at the curious gaze he was under. “I’m just not that hungry, I guess.”

 

Phil jumped up, almost knocking over a glass in the process. “Okay, I’ll clean up.” Dan just sat and watched as the other picked up everything and put it away neatly in little tupperware containers. He even started doing the dishes, for crying out loud. The little ‘meeting’ Dan had the night before returned to the forefront of his mind, guit coming with it. He didn’t want to push Phil, to prod at him and test on him. Phil didn’t have anything to hide. He was perfectly fine, probably completely harmless.

  
Right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long, I've had a massive case of writers block, but luckily it's starting to go away
> 
> Also I finished the outline for the story so yayyyyyy for that
> 
> But this chapter wasn't too bad, yeah?
> 
> Comments honestly make my day and I hope you enjoyed reading ^-^


	5. Important Message

Hey guys! No, I’m not dead, glad we got that covered.  
You’re probably wondering what happened to my story, so I’m just gonna lay it out there. Writing has become hard for me. I still love this story and really want to continue it, but nothing is coming to me. And as I go back and read the little amount I have actually written, I find all these mistakes and things I should have done better on.  
So I’m putting serious consideration on rewriting it. I will write the whole thing, start to finish. And once that’s done I will either upload parts like chapters or upload it as a super long oneshot. Just depends on the ending length and my mood that day.  
In the case that I don’t completely rewrite it and just continue to add chapters, I would strongly advise to read the notes at the end of each installment. Knowing myself I will more than likely go back and tweak the previous chapters, so I will tell you anything I might have changed there so that you aren’t confused. If I do more than just a few little things to a chapter I will let you know so that you can reread it if you want.  
To keep my writer’s block at bay I am going to be opening an email for suggestions. I thank everyone who sends me ideas in advance because I seriously need it. If I write a story based off of your suggestion I will personally email you and let you know. Also, suggestions are not limited to phan, I am in tons of other fandoms but for some reason my mind is blank, so I’m just going to put a couple others below:  
-Harry Potter (I ship both Drarry and Dramione depending on my mood)  
-Yuri!!! On Ice (huge Victurri fan)  
My email address for all of this is awkwardannafromao3@gmail.com  
I know, I know, it’s oh so original. Truly witty.  
Anyways, I will try and do as much as I can when it comes to this fic, and suggestions for some one shots are much more than welcome. Honestly, they would be fantastic, go wild.  
Thank you all for the support on previous chapters and the kudos and everything. It makes my day to see them, and it keeps me encouraged. It may be a while but I will not leave this unfinished. Just bear with me, okay?  
Much love,

**Author's Note:**

> Bear with me, this is gonna be a rollercoaster. Chapters completely in italics are teasers (don't sorry they'll make sense later) and I will update when I can ^-^
> 
> Anyways, comments are loved and will absolutely make my day :)
> 
> If you have a scene that you want worked in, message me on tumblr (@indecisive-taco) ^-^


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